Royal Palace of Saigon
The Royal Palace of Saigon (Dinh Sài Gòn) ''is the official residence and office of the monarch and immediate royal family, completed in 1962 in the Baroque style. However, the King also has use of '''Gia Long Palace' (Dinh Gia Long) also in Saigon, built and named by the Vietnamese in 1890 for the then-French Governor of Cochinchina. Following the full French-Vietnam turnover in 1947, the latter became Emperor Bao Dai's residence in Saigon, preferring to use the Imperial Palace in Hue for official functions. Following the Vietnamese Civil War, the newly titled King Thomas used Dinh Gia Long as a residence and working office until the Royal Palace was completed. Late in King Philip's reign, he transitioned to using the Royal Palace for business and as a residence, keeping Dinh Gia Long, as a government guesthouse. Kings since have used this arrangement. Design and construction The Baroque exterior design is heavily based on the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, however, the Royal Palace is 25 meters larger with the inclusion of modern amenities. The architect of the Royal Palace, Claudia Gerber, was 27 years old when her palace and garden designs were selected by the newly named King Thomas in 1955. Her landscaping designs led to the gardens of the Royal Palace being named after her. In 1965, she was made a Dame of the Order of Nguyen for her contributions to the new dynasty. Construction lasted from 1955 until 1964 and at a final cost of $24 million. The Royal Palace contains 1,440 rooms including an indoor swimming pool and tennis court—the latter a favourite pastime of King Nicholas. Other amenities include a two-story observatory and restaurant. The restaurant is open to visitors to the Royal Palace however professional or formal dinner dress is required. From 1967-1972, the west wing roof of the Royal Palace contained a helipad until it was removed in favour of the north lawn after the lawn was reinforced and repaved in 1973. 1984 remodel In the summer of 1984, the interior of the Royal Palace was changed drastically by Queen Thu. Among the major modifications, the Entrance Hall was enlarged with a new grand staircase; the east wing ballroom was repainted and enlarged; the main throne room was repainted and re-floored, and the King's Office was redesigned. The remodel was completed by Lunar New Years Eve 1986, the royal family stayed at Dinh Gia Long until the remodel was completed. Safety All residences have a five km no-fly zone clearance radius for all commercial aircraft. There are three layers of security in place at all times to protect the King and royal family while in residence. The first level is the Royal Palace Police who are charged with protecting and maintaining a one km ground/road radius using checkpoints at all residences. All residences are immediately guarded by 15 to 50 King's Guard sentries, depending on the King's current stay-in-residence. Upon entering a residence, visitors and non-essential staff are photographed and given an ID badge that must be worn at all times and are monitored by the Royal Guards, in addition, to select King's Guard interior sentries, who guard highly sensitive areas. Tours The Royal Palace is open for tours Monday through Thursday, however only the ground and first floors of the main palace and the East Wing ballroom are available to the public. If the King is in residence, proper court etiquette must be observed at all times. Gallery Rps throne.jpg |Main throne room Rps northd.jpeg |North facade, day Rps northn.jpeg |North facade, night Rpsreception.jpeg|State reception room (the Mural Room)